User blog:NorthStar MLP/Keep Calm and Flutters On
As some of you might know, I recently inherited the role of Fluttershy. It's taken a few weeks, but I'm finally starting to get comfortable with the character and make her my own- as much as I /can/ make an already established character my own, that is! Since it seems to be a rite of passage of sorts for new manes to write a blog post, I figured I'd finally jump on the bandwagon. First of all, I'd like to thank two people in particular: Smartypants, who I consider my closest friend here. Thanks for trusting me, and while I'll never be half the Fluttershy you were, I hope I can at least keep things entertaining. I'd also like to thank Foxprint, who has done more than almost anyone else to help me get used to being Fluttershy. Thanks for backing me up when I needed it. Now that all the feel good, heartwarming stuff is out of the way, let's get down to the meat of things! I've already had quite a few people ask me what it's like playing a mane. Truth be told? It carries its own unique sets of challenges. Like anything else, it has its own set of pros and cons. It's definitely different from running an OC, but those differences just make things interesting. Here are a few key points, presented in fancy-dandy list form for your reading pleasure. Everyone loves lists, after all. Shipping *Oh yes, this one comes up quite often, doesn't it? North Star has a 'shipping list' a mile long, although the chances of him ever leaving Keylime are slim to none. Fluttershy? Not so much. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the odds of you successfully involving yourself romantically with Fluttershy are about equal to the odds of Keylime's player ever beating me in a battle of wits. It's just not going to happen. *Even worse, if you /do/ attempt to press the issue, you'll likely lose your chance for any further interactions with Fluttershy. She's shy, she's introverted, and she will not ship. OOC Interactions *I talk. Some would say I talk too much. Some others would say I talk about absolutely nothing of importance. Bottom line, I enjoy communicating with people outside the confines of the RP. I like to keep OOC chatter in the feed to a minimum, but by all means, shoot me a DM! If I'm not otherwise occupied, I'll be more than willing to offer you advice on RPing or even just talk to you about (insert random piece of entertainment media here). *I don't bite, and even though Fluttershy may be introverted, I enjoy talking to others about whatever's on my mind. Getting me to shut up is the hard part! *As one final point on this subject, if you see me drop a vague reference and you actually know where it's from, shoot me an OOC message saying so. NOTHING makes me happier than when people actually pick up on my references. *I love meeting new players, both in-character and out-of-character. I also love seeing interesting new characters grow and develop. If I run a scene with you, feel free to DM me afterwards asking for my opinion of your character and RP style. I may not be the best roleplayer out there, but I've been doing this long enough that I should have a few useful bits of advice for you. I'm more than happy to share them. Mentions and Non-RP Accounts *I tend to ignore non-RP accounts, those without an @mlp_ tag. I may throw a quick OOC message your way, but that's likely as far as it'll go. Sorry, but it makes things easier to handle if you're actually a part of Twitterponies! *As far as mentions? I love mentions. I love mentions almost as much as I love vague and nonsensical references. I have a bad habit of running multiple accounts simultaneously, and your tweets might get lost in the shuffle if you don't thtow a mention my way. Interacting With Fluttershy *Large crowds are always hard to handle, especially when you're playing a character like Fluttershy. That's not to say I don't enjoy them! If you see me active in the feed, drop by and say hello! Don't be surprised, however, if I take some time to respond. *I might be in a scene with someone else at the time, I might be juggling multiple accounts like the lunatic I am, or I might just be sidetracked. I will do my absolute best to fit you in, even if it's just an offhanded mention. I ''hate ''ignoring players, no matter how busy I may be. Patience is a virtue! *One thing I'm not too fond of are people who randomly insert themselves into a scene with absolutely no buildup. One minute, you're buying cider in town square. The next minute, you've teleported to Fluttershy's side without so much as a single travel montage in between. Honestly, this is the only time I'll ignore a player. Even something as simple as saying "I wonder if @mlp_Fluttershy is home?" before you initiate a scene works wonders. It gives me some advance warning that you're on your way, which lets me put whatever else I'm doing on hold so I can focus on our upcoming scene. *However, there are some times when I absolutely cannot interact with you. Maybe I'm in a big, dramatic scene with Twilight in the library. Maybe I'm on a train to Canterlot. It should be fairly obvious when I'm otherwise occupied in a scene where it wouldn't make sense to involve you, but don't worry! There's always another day, and I will try my best to run a 'make-up scene' with you when I happen to be free. *So, now that you've initiated a scene with Flutters, what do you do next? Anything you want, really. I'm not picky when it comes to who I interact with, and I'd be more than happy to take things to DMs and work with you to make our scene as entertaining for both of us- and everyone watching- as possible. That's what it comes down to, after all: having fun. If you're not having fun, either watching me or interacting with me, I'm doing it wrong. Now that I've shamelessly ripped off Maven's blog post, I'll leave you with one last piece of advice: have fun. Keep those two simple words in mind, and you'll grow to love this RP. I know I have. Category:Blog posts